


A Christmas Cliche

by Uncle_Riko



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 12:09:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13166631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uncle_Riko/pseuds/Uncle_Riko
Summary: "Christmas proposals are pretty cliché, don’t you think?"





	A Christmas Cliche

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr Secret Santa gift for Danie/@dklem on Tumblr! Sorry I couldn't make it in time for Christmas, hopefully you don't mind it being a couple days late! And I know you didn't specify anything in particular, so hopefully you like Yohariko (and reading fics for that matter haha)! I wasn't able to find an AO3 account for you, so I can't gift it, but I'll be sure to link you on tumblr, and if you happen to have an account here, I'll see if I can still do that. Anyways, hope you enjoy, and happy holidays!

Yoshiko stirred restfully from her sleep, her eyes slowly fluttering open as she was greeted by the sight of her girlfriend sleeping peacefully beside her. Riko’s chest rose and fell in sync with her gentle breathing; even in sleep, there was a delicate, angelic smile gracing her lips. As the fallen half to their heavenly duo, Yoshiko could only smile in return.

This wasn’t anything new, waking up with Riko beside her. But this morning felt different, peculiar, as Yoshiko’s heart began to race, a warm feeling emanating from head to toes. She recognized the feeling as love, the same love she’d held for Riko all these years. But she and Riko had been together going on five years now, it hardly made sense that she was feeling so giddy at such an arbitrary point in their relationship.

But perhaps that’s just how love worked. She never lied when she explained to her friends that she and Riko were taking it slow and simply enjoying life. Nor was it a matter of her growing impatient all of a sudden, or tired of waiting. There was just something about Riko’s smile on that bright, wintery morning. Yoshiko didn’t know how to explain it, but perhaps that’s what was most exciting—it meant Riko too would be none the wiser to her new breadth of feelings.

Yoshiko sprang out of bed, kissing Riko lightly on the cheek, the redhead still fast asleep by the time she slipped out the front door. The cold air and blistering winds did little to dampen her mood. How could she be anything but excited?

She had an engagement ring to buy, after all.

 

* * *

 

It was a meticulous process, planning a proposal. Yoshiko didn’t want to do something too plain or traditional, Riko deserved to be swept off her feet. But at the same time, Yoshiko, by now, was well aware just how extra she could be; if she was going to go for something flashy, she’d have to make sure it didn’t detract from the actual proposal. But seeing as it was the holidays, “extra” and “flashy” were probably a give in.

Yoshiko felt her phone buzzing in her pocket.

“Eh, Mari? Why are you calling me…?”

_“Hey, Yoshiko-Chan! I just wanted to tell you that we’re doing Secret Santa this year! Surely Rikocchi told you about it?”_

“Nope, she’s still at work, haven’t talked to her since this morning.”

_“Ah, well she’s the person you’ll be getting the gift for! Lucky you!”_

“What?? I’m buying a gift for Lily?”

_“Yep! So just get her a gift, anything will do, and she can open it up at our Christmas party! Sound good?”_

“H-hold on a sec—”

_“Great! See ya then, Yoshiko-chan~”_

Yoshiko was greeted with silence from the dead line. She didn’t know what just happened, or how she could be so lucky as to get her girlfriend for Secret Santa, but what she _did know_ , was that the perfect Christmas proposal was practically being handed to her on a silver platter. Perhaps her streak of eternal bad luck had come to an end.

 

* * *

 

Awashima was as grand and glorious as Yoshiko had remembered. It’d been a hot minute since they’d last been, but Mari was back in town for the holidays—what better time to have an Aqours reunion?

Yoshiko cautiously patted the small ring box concealed in her coat pocket. To say she was a little nervous was an understatement, but she’d weathered these types of nerves before as an idol, Riko always by her side.

Hand-in-hand, the two stepped into the glittering foyer, instantly greeted by familiar faces and voices. Mari hadn’t been the only on to leave the nest, it’d been quite some time since they’d seen the other third-years, and You for that matter, who was always sailing off to god knows where, gone for months at a time.

Even Chika and the first-years who did end up sticking around were busy with their lives—busy enough to make hangouts and reunions like these few and far between; things just weren’t the way they used to be. But that didn’t need to be a bad thing. Nor did it mean that the dynamic had to change once they did manage to get everyone back together.

“Look who we’ve got here!” Chika ambushed them from behind, leaning on Riko’s shoulder. “The old married couple!” Chika’s antics got a rise out of Riko, but Yoshiko, considering the circumstances, could only offer a nervous chuckle; hopefully this line of questioning wouldn’t play out to its usual conclusion. “Seriously though, can we expect a Christmas proposal this year, guys?” _Damn it._ There it was. Sure, it was partly in jest (this was Chika after all), but there was no doubt that she was actually curious.

Yoshiko looked down guiltily, mindlessly fumbling with the ring box in her pocket. Chika being her usual self was doing her _no_ favors tonight.

“We told you,” Riko playfully chimed in, the usual excuse already perched on the tip of her tongue, “Yocchan and I are taking things at are our own pace. And we’re very happy, thank you very much.” Yoshiko delightfully and erroneously presumed that’d be the end of it, but apparently Riko wasn’t yet finished, “Besides, Christmas proposals are pretty cliché, don’t you think?”

The fallen angel froze on the spot. That was probably the _last_ thing she wanted to hear right now. Well, that or Riko saying “no” to her proposal.

 

. . .

 

“Zuramaru, get over here!” Yoshiko plucked the brunette out of her conversation with her former Azalea groupmates.

“Ah, Yoshiko-chan! It’s nice to see you—”

“I need your help, Zuramaru!”

“Eh? What’s up, zura?”

“As my number _two_ little demon, I need your help in coercing my number _one_ little demon to accept an eternal contract of—”

“I’m sorry,” Hanamaru interjected dryly, “as per usual, I’m not understanding you at all.”

Yoshiko sighed, flipping the Yohane switch off, “I’m going to propose to Lily, but I need your help!”

“Oh wow! You’re gonna propose?” Hanamaru clapped her hands together excitedly.

“Shh!!” Yoshiko silenced her, warily checking her surroundings for eavesdroppers. “Yes, I was going to give her the ring as her Secret Santa gift, but—“

“You got Riko-chan as your person for Secret Santa? How lucky!”

“Yes, but that’s not the point, you see, she just said—"

“Can I see the ring?”

“Zuramaru! Focus!” Yoshiko sandwiched Hanamaru’s cheeks firmly between her palms. “Lily just said Christmas proposals are cliche! What do I do? I can’t go through with it now!”

“Eh, why not? Riko-chan loves sappy stuff like that.”

“Well apparently not!” Yoshiko retorted, “And I don’t have another gift for her! I need to come up with something fast! I need _you_ to come up with something fast!”

Hanamaru nodded in determined acknowledgment before rifling through her bag, pulling out a piece of paper. “Here! A nice lady who visits the shrine often gave me this coupon for the hot springs! That should work right?”

Yoshiko stared at the crumpled piece of paper in horror. This was a _serious_ downgrade from a diamond ring. But Riko would just have to live with it, Yoshiko would regroup and try the proposal when the holidays were over. Maybe she could do it when they were at the discounted hot springs together?

Her fingers grazed the box in her pocket, her heart beating the slightest bit faster. There wasn’t a rush, none at all, but still…after five years, she was finally ready; it almost felt wrong to wait, even a day longer.

“Alright everyone, gather ‘round! We’re gonna open gifts, zura!” Hanamaru gave Yoshiko a thumbs-up, only to be met with an audible groan. Yoshiko would’ve liked to postpone her inevitable doom just a little bit longer.

The fallen angel reluctantly snatched the coupon from Hanamaru, scribbling Riko’s name on an envelope before stuffing it inside.

 

. . .

 

While she may have been lucky in the beginning, Secret Santa was turning out to be a real pain in Yoshiko’s ass, as Riko was the last to open her gift, allowing her to guess her Secret Santa by process of elimination.

“This isn’t going to be another one of your patented last-minute gifts, _is it, Yocchan_?” Riko opened the envelope carefully, Yoshiko far too petrified to make a witty retort (that and because Riko happened to be right).

“Let’s see here…a coupon for a trip to the hot springs...?” Riko seemed mildly surprised, but fortunately, not _too_ disappointed. “Well, looks like we know where our next vacation’s gonna be!” She leaned over and left a peck on Yoshiko’s cheek, thanking her.

Yoshiko could hardly meet Riko’s eyes; Riko was one of those people who was always grateful, no matter what she received. As a terrible gift giver, Yoshiko had seen that forced look on her face many times, that brave smile she put on whenever Yoshiko gave her something silly or demonic. It was a kindhearted gesture, but to the gift giver, it was like kryptonite, knowing the gift couldn’t elicit a real smile.

Yoshiko mumbled something in return, whatever she’d said barely registering in her own mind. The look on Riko’s face from the previous year, and the year before that, was plastered in her mind, plaguing her thoughts. She didn’t dare look over at Riko, lest she find that same look staring back at her all over again.

Activities and mingling resumed short after, but not without Riko noticing a change in Yoshiko’s demeanor.

“Hanamaru-chan, Yocchan has been acting pretty weird today. You wouldn’t happen to know what that’s about would you?”

“I have a guess as to what might be bothering her, but I think you’re better off asking her!” The brunette flashed a reassuring smile, which Riko returned. “Just be sure to go easy on her, ok?” she winked.

 

. . .

 

Riko found Yoshiko alone, poking at a swirling punch-bowl ladle. “Yocchan, can I talk to you for a sec?”

“Eh? O-Oh Lily…!” Yoshiko was broken out of her trance, scrambling to feign normalcy, “S-Sure! What did you want to talk about…?”

Riko took hold of her hand, eliciting a blush from the fallen angel. She guided Yoshiko outside to the balcony, where a light snow was falling. “So, what’s going on with you tonight?”

“W-What are you talking about…?”

“You’ve been avoiding me all night, and ever since the Secret Santa thing, you haven’t said a word to anyone _, including_ me.” Riko folded her arms, staring holes into the side of Yoshiko’s head.

Well shoot. There were really only two options here. Yoshiko could lie her way through Riko’s gauntlet of concerned questions, or she could tell the truth. It seemed silly to go through all this trouble just because of Riko’s offhanded comments, but what kind of soon-to-be-fiance would she be if she didn’t want her proposal to be absolutely perfect? But by the same token, just what kind of girlfriend would she be if she was lying to the love of her life?

“Look…Lily…about your Secret Santa gift…” Yoshiko looked down sullenly, still unable to meet Riko’s gaze.

“Huh, the coupon? What about it?”

“T-That’s not the gift you were supposed to get…I just asked Hanamaru for something to give to you at the last minute…”

“So it _was_ at the last minute—”

“T-That’s not the point!” Yoshiko wailed. “T-The point is, I-I meant to give you this…” She dug the ring box out of her coat pocket, squeezing her eyes shut as she offered it to Riko. “I-I was gonna propose tonight, b-but you said it was cliché to propose on Christmas…” She pried open an eye, attempting to peek at Riko’s reaction, only to find her stifling a laugh.

“You idiot, I never said I didn’t like cliche things.”

“…Huh?”

“I was just trying to get Chika off our backs.” Her cheeks were starting to take on color. “I mean, I love everything about you, cliché or not…” She scratched the back of her head sheepishly. “So um…are you proposing to me, or…?”

Yoshiko looked down to find her arms still outstretched, the ring box open and facing the girl with whom she was eternally enamored. That was the definition of a proposal right?

“Um..y-yeah…! R-Riko Sakurauchi…w-will you marry me?”

Riko looked straight into Yoshiko's violet eyes as she smiled, ignoring the ring and diving straight for Yoshiko’s lips.

She broke off the kiss, a smirk on her face, “I believe the proper expression is: will you enter an eternal love contract with me?~”


End file.
